losing and gaining a life

February of 2010.  Momma Eastwood, or Momma Bear, to be (not yet known) Grandma Bear or maybe Mimi Bear or Nana Bear was diagnosed with F Cancer (colon Cancer, to be referred to as F Cancer, because that's how we feel). Hospital. Terrible News. Bad Prognosis. Moves from her Fort Myers home with the Strawberry Crush walls to Orlando and into the 1000sq foot Ferncreek home. A yellow room with blue curtains (thanks to wonderful friends) and Goodnight Moon to watch over her.

Momma Bear brought with her a crazy pup, Molly, who somehow survived the ingestion of a bottle of ginger tablets, a bottle of Ibuprofen, and a few Cliff bars. She decorated the Ferncreek home with piles of coupons and business books and stuffed tissue's between couch cushions and under stray glasses. She brought impromtu dance parties, family sing-a-longs, and her "purist" (picky) diet. Without knowing it that Nana Bear with F Cancer who was pretty tight with da Jesus also prayed blessing's over our bedroom, a few fertility dances later and we found out we were expecting an unexpected gift.  The little bean was discovered in the Windermere bathroom with a dollar store pregnancy test, confirmed with more dollar store pregnancy tests and later a legit Walgreens test stick. It took 2 days and some Disney fireworks from inside the Civic to tell the dad-to-be in a faint whisper that he took a part in creating life. He, "what-me-worry" boy, was so excited to become a McDaddy. First person notified of the little lima bean was the Nana Bear, in the Ferncreek kitchen. Nobody could be more excited about baby bear then Nana Bear, it made F Cancer a little less F' ish.


39 weeks later (after many chance 2 am meetings of the pregnant lady and the Cancer fighting Nana Bear in the singular Ferncreek bathroom) Charlotte Isabelle (named in the recording of "My First Christmas" by Nana Bear, sharing a middle name) and to be called Charlie Belle, was cut out (story to follow). Less then a month earlier the Nana Bear was taken by the F Cancer (it was the night of Thanksgiving). "Done Deal" is what the doctors told the Nana Bear when she asked if she would be able to play with Charlie Belle on the carpet in 6 months, clearly mistaken, she would never meet the sweet Charlie Belle. 


The redeeming part - the McDaddy believes all uterus dwellers have a direct line of communication to Jesus, so he was confident the Nana Bear and Charlie Belle got their snuggle-on, and that little Charlie Belle would already have some Nana Bear wisdom. That Momma Bear is too easy to miss though.


And so you were little Charlie Belle, mooning your way into the world when you were wanted and needed most, the beginning and end of life...you were/are hope.  Thank you Jesus.